The present invention relates to a surgical stretcher having a head rest that is adjustable relative to a back section of the stretcher. More particularly, the present invention relates to a surgical stretcher having a head rest that provides increased stabilization of the head of the patient, which is desirable during some head surgeries.
Hospital stretchers having head rests that support the head of a patient during head and neck surgery are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,797 to Failor et al. Hospital stretchers having wrist rests that support the wrists of a surgeon performing surgery on the head and neck of the patient are also known. See, for example, the Failor et al. ""797 patent and U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,011 to Evans.
According to the present invention, a head rest of a surgical stretcher includes a vacuum pad configured to support the head of a patient supported on the stretcher. The vacuum pad has a non-rigid state wherein the vacuum pad is formable and a rigid state wherein the vacuum pad is non-formable. The vacuum pad has side walls with top edges positioned to lie at an elevation above the head rest. The top edges of the vacuum pad provide a wrist rest surface that is formable when the vacuum pad is in the non-rigid state.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.